Earlier this week we brought you screen grabs from Ferrari's preview website, depicting snapshots of an all-new model from the stable of the Prancing Horse. Today, Ferrari has released a small selection of official photographs.

Along with the snaps, we're told that the new car will be called the California and under that rear deck sits a folded hardtop. Hence the engine is mounted up front, though well back in the chassis to improve the weight distribution. It's a 4.3-litre V8 putting out 454bhp, which results in a scorching 0-100 km/h time of less than four seconds. That should silence anyone suggesting that the California is a soft Ferrari.

Despite the performance on offer, Ferrari is marketing the new car as a GT, to sit alongside the larger four-seat 612 Scaglietti in the range and it will only be offered as a folding hardtop model with a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. More details will become available before the new car makes its world debut at this autumn's Paris Show.